JUST WATCHED

What's Putin's next move?

MUST WATCH

JUST WATCHED

Rebel leader: I invite international help

MUST WATCH

Rebel leader: I invite international help04:58

"The Russian government has repeatedly put out misinformation and propaganda throughout this conflict in Ukraine, so I would caution you from saying that these are two equally credible sources, although you're happy to report it that way, but I would take issue with it."

The Russian mindset, says CNN's former Moscow bureau chief, loves a good story. And the Russian narrative is meant to sway public opinion on who's responsible for the jet's downing.

"Don't forget, the mentality of Russians is to think of conspiracy theories," said Jill Dougherty. "So when they hear something that is outrageous, they might believe it."

Here are some of the stories circulating in the Russian media.

THE RUSSIAN TAKE: The passengers were already dead

Rebel commander Igor Girkin suggested that many of MH17's passengers were corpses -- already dead -- and put aboard the 11-plus-hour flight from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur. Those claims were made on Russia's Russkaya Vessna website.

"A significant number of the bodies weren't fresh," Girkin said he'd learned, adding, their blood had been drained.

He also reportedly claimed a vast amount of blood serum and medications were discovered in the wreckage.

THE WORLD'S TAKE: The information contradicts the Malaysia Airlines passenger manifest for Flight 17 that lists the 298 people who were alive when they boarded the regularly scheduled flight. For instance, Dutch passenger Pim de Kuijer was on his way to an International AIDS Conference in Australia -- a trip that was to be followed by a backpacking excursion there. The day of the crash, de Kuijer posted to his Facebook page a picture of him posing beneath aviator sunglasses and sporting a large travelers' backpack.

---

THE RUSSIAN TAKE: A Ukrainian fighter jet shot it down

On the day of the crash, Russia's radar system spotted a Ukrainian Air Force jet approaching the Boeing, said Russian Army Lt. Gen. Andrey Kartopolov.

"Its standard armament includes R60 air-to-air missiles, which are capable of locking and hitting targets from 12 kilometers (7 miles) and which are guaranteed to hit the target from the distance of 5 kilometers (3 miles)," he said.

THE WORLD'S TAKE:That's a claim that Ukraine has denied. And the United States and others have said the plane was brought down by a surface-to-air missile.

Photos:Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 crashes in Ukraine

Photos:Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 crashes in Ukraine

Debris from Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 sits in a field at the crash site in Hrabove, Ukraine, on September 9, 2014. The Boeing 777 was shot down July 17, 2014, over Ukrainian territory controlled by pro-Russian separatists. All 298 people on board were killed. In an October 2015 report, Dutch investigators found the flight was shot down by a warhead that fit a Buk rocket, referring to Russian technology, Dutch Safety Board Chairman Tjibbe Joustra said.

Hide Caption

1 of 58

Photos:Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 crashes in Ukraine

Australian and Dutch experts examine the area of the crash on August 3, 2014.

Hide Caption

2 of 58

Photos:Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 crashes in Ukraine

A woman walks with her bicycle near the crash site on August 2, 2014.

Hide Caption

3 of 58

Photos:Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 crashes in Ukraine

Police secure a refrigerated train loaded with bodies of passengers from Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 as it arrives in a Kharkiv, Ukraine, factory on July 22, 2014.

Hide Caption

4 of 58

Photos:Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 crashes in Ukraine

A pro-Russian rebel passes wreckage from the crashed jet near Hrabove on Monday, July 21, 2014.

Hide Caption

5 of 58

Photos:Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 crashes in Ukraine

– Wreckage from the jet lies in grass near Hrabove on July 21, 2014.

Hide Caption

6 of 58

Photos:Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 crashes in Ukraine

A man covers his face with a rag as members of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe and the Dutch National Forensic Investigations Team inspect bodies in a refrigerated train near the crash site in eastern Ukraine on July 21, 2014.

Hide Caption

7 of 58

Photos:Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 crashes in Ukraine

Emergency workers carry a victim's body in a bag at the crash site on July 21, 2014.

Hide Caption

8 of 58

Photos:Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 crashes in Ukraine

A piece of the plane lies in the grass in eastern Ukraine's Donetsk region on July 21, 2014.

Hide Caption

9 of 58

Photos:Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 crashes in Ukraine

An armed pro-Russian rebel stands guard next to a refrigerated train loaded with bodies in Torez, Ukraine, on Sunday, July 20, 2014.

Hide Caption

10 of 58

Photos:Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 crashes in Ukraine

Ukrainian State Emergency Service employees sort through debris on July 20, 2014, as they work to locate the deceased.

Hide Caption

11 of 58

Photos:Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 crashes in Ukraine

A woman covers her mouth with a piece of fabric July 20, 2014, to ward off smells from railway cars that reportedly contained passengers' bodies.

Hide Caption

12 of 58

Photos:Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 crashes in Ukraine

Toys and flowers sit on the charred fuselage of the jet as a memorial on July 20, 2014.

Hide Caption

13 of 58

Photos:Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 crashes in Ukraine

People search a wheat field for remains in the area of the crash site on July 20, 2014.

Hide Caption

14 of 58

Photos:Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 crashes in Ukraine

A woman walks among charred debris at the crash site on July 20, 2014.

Hide Caption

15 of 58

Photos:Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 crashes in Ukraine

Emergency workers load the body of a victim onto a truck at the crash site on Saturday, July 19, 2014.

Hide Caption

16 of 58

Photos:Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 crashes in Ukraine

Emergency workers carry the body of a victim at the crash site on July 19, 2014.

Hide Caption

17 of 58

Photos:Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 crashes in Ukraine

A large piece of the main cabin is under guard at the crash site on July 19, 2014.

Hide Caption

18 of 58

Photos:Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 crashes in Ukraine

Victims' bodies are placed by the side of the road on July 19, 2014, as recovery efforts continue at the crash site. International officials lament the lack of a secured perimeter.

Hide Caption

19 of 58

Photos:Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 crashes in Ukraine

A man looks through the debris at the crash site on July 19, 2014.

Hide Caption

20 of 58

Photos:Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 crashes in Ukraine

An envelope bearing the Malaysia Airlines logo is seen at the crash site on July 19, 2014.

Hide Caption

21 of 58

Photos:Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 crashes in Ukraine

Armed rebels walk past large pieces of the Boeing 777 on July 19, 2014.

Hide Caption

22 of 58

Photos:Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 crashes in Ukraine

Ukrainian rescue workers walk through a wheat field with a stretcher as they collect the bodies of victims on July 19, 2014.

Hide Caption

23 of 58

Photos:Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 crashes in Ukraine

A woman looks at wreckage on July 19, 2014.

Hide Caption

24 of 58

Photos:Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 crashes in Ukraine

Pro-Russian rebels stand guard as the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe delegation arrives at the crash site on Friday, July 18, 2014.

Hide Caption

25 of 58

Photos:Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 crashes in Ukraine

A woman walks through the debris field on July 18, 2014.

Hide Caption

26 of 58

Photos:Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 crashes in Ukraine

Pro-Russian rebels stand guard at the crash site.

Hide Caption

27 of 58

Photos:Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 crashes in Ukraine

Wreckage from Flight 17 lies in a field in Shaktarsk, Ukraine, on July 18, 2014.

Hide Caption

28 of 58

Photos:Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 crashes in Ukraine

A man covers a body with a plastic sheet near the crash site on July 18, 2014. The passengers and crew hailed from all over the world, including Australia, Indonesia, Malaysia, Germany and Canada.

Hide Caption

29 of 58

Photos:Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 crashes in Ukraine

A diver searches for the jet's flight data recorders on July 18, 2014.

Hide Caption

30 of 58

Photos:Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 crashes in Ukraine

Coal miners search the crash site.

Hide Caption

31 of 58

Photos:Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 crashes in Ukraine

Wreckage from the Boeing 777 lies on the ground July 18, 2014.

Hide Caption

32 of 58

Photos:Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 crashes in Ukraine

People search for bodies of passengers on July 18, 2014.

Hide Caption

33 of 58

Photos:Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 crashes in Ukraine

A woman walks past a body covered with a plastic sheet near the crash site July 18, 2014.

Hide Caption

34 of 58

Photos:Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 crashes in Ukraine

Belongings of passengers lie in the grass on July 18, 2014.

Hide Caption

35 of 58

Photos:Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 crashes in Ukraine

People inspect the crash site on Thursday, July 17, 2014.

Hide Caption

36 of 58

Photos:Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 crashes in Ukraine

People walk amid the debris at the site of the crash.

Hide Caption

37 of 58

Photos:Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 crashes in Ukraine

Debris smoulders in a field near the Russian border.

Hide Caption

38 of 58

Photos:Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 crashes in Ukraine

Fire engines arrive at the crash site.

Hide Caption

39 of 58

Photos:Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 crashes in Ukraine

A man stands next to wreckage.

Hide Caption

40 of 58

Photos:Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 crashes in Ukraine

Debris from the crashed jet lies in a field in Ukraine.

Hide Caption

41 of 58

Photos:Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 crashes in Ukraine

Family members of those aboard Flight 17 leave Schiphol Airport near Amsterdam, Netherlands.

Hide Caption

42 of 58

Photos:Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 crashes in Ukraine

A large piece of the plane lies on the ground.

Hide Caption

43 of 58

Photos:Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 crashes in Ukraine

Luggage from the flight sits in a field at the crash site.

Hide Caption

44 of 58

Photos:Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 crashes in Ukraine

A couple walks to the location at Schiphol Airport where more information would be given regarding the flight.

Hide Caption

45 of 58

Photos:Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 crashes in Ukraine

Flight arrivals are listed at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport in Sepang, Malaysia.

Hide Caption

46 of 58

Photos:Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 crashes in Ukraine

Debris from the Boeing 777, pictured on July 17, 2014.

Hide Caption

47 of 58

Photos:Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 crashes in Ukraine

A man inspects debris from the plane.

Hide Caption

48 of 58

Photos:Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 crashes in Ukraine

Wreckage from the plane is seen on July 17, 2014.

Hide Caption

49 of 58

Photos:Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 crashes in Ukraine

A man talks with security at Schiphol Airport on July 17, 2014.

Hide Caption

50 of 58

Photos:Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 crashes in Ukraine

Wreckage burns in Ukraine.

Hide Caption

51 of 58

Photos:Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 crashes in Ukraine

A man stands next to the wreckage of the airliner.

Hide Caption

52 of 58

Photos:Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 crashes in Ukraine

People inspect a piece of wreckage believed to be from Malaysia Airlines Flight 17. This image was posted to Twitter.

Hide Caption

53 of 58

Photos:Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 crashes in Ukraine

People inspect a piece of wreckage believed to be from Malaysia Airlines Flight 17. This image was posted to Twitter.

Hide Caption

54 of 58

Photos:Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 crashes in Ukraine

A piece of wreckage believed to be from Malaysia Airlines Flight 17. This image was posted to Twitter.

Hide Caption

55 of 58

Photos:Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 crashes in Ukraine

A piece of wreckage believed to be from MH17. This image was posted to Twitter.

Hide Caption

56 of 58

Photos:Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 crashes in Ukraine

An airsickness bag believed to be from MH17. This image was posted to Twitter.

Hide Caption

57 of 58

Photos:Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 crashes in Ukraine

A piece of wreckage believed to be from MH17. This image was posted to Twitter.

JUST WATCHED

When passenger jets become targets

MUST WATCH

JUST WATCHED

Firth: RT was 'pushing a narrative'

MUST WATCH

Firth: RT was 'pushing a narrative'01:33

Photos:MH17: What they left behind

Photos:MH17: What they left behind

MH17: What they left behind – A birthday card found in a sunflower field near the crash site of Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 in eastern Ukraine, on Thursday, July 24. The passenger plane was shot down July 17 above Ukraine. All 298 people aboard were killed, and much of what they left behind was scattered in a vast field of debris.

Hide Caption

1 of 16

Photos:MH17: What they left behind

MH17: What they left behind – A classical music record is seen among the sunflowers on July 24.

Hide Caption

2 of 16

Photos:MH17: What they left behind

MH17: What they left behind – A shoe, appearing to be brand new, sits under foliage at the crash site.

Hide Caption

3 of 16

Photos:MH17: What they left behind

MH17: What they left behind – Two Dutch passports belonging to passengers lie in a field at the site of the crash on Tuesday, July 22.

Hide Caption

4 of 16

Photos:MH17: What they left behind

MH17: What they left behind – Clothing, sunglasses and chocolate are seen on July 22.

Hide Caption

5 of 16

Photos:MH17: What they left behind

MH17: What they left behind – More sunglasses and a travel guide lie in the field on July 22.

Hide Caption

6 of 16

Photos:MH17: What they left behind

MH17: What they left behind – A doll is seen on the ground on Saturday, July 19.

Hide Caption

7 of 16

Photos:MH17: What they left behind

MH17: What they left behind – A single shoe is seen among the debris and wreckage on July 19. There has been concern that the site has not been sealed off properly and that vital evidence is being tampered with.

Hide Caption

8 of 16

Photos:MH17: What they left behind

MH17: What they left behind – Pieces of a wristwatch lie on a plastic cover at the crash site.

Hide Caption

9 of 16

Photos:MH17: What they left behind

MH17: What they left behind – A toy monkey.

Hide Caption

10 of 16

Photos:MH17: What they left behind

MH17: What they left behind – Books, bags, a tourist T-shirt. Ukraine's government said it had received reports of looting, and it urged relatives to cancel the victims' credit cards. But a CNN crew at the scene July 19 said it did not see any signs of looting.

Hide Caption

11 of 16

Photos:MH17: What they left behind

MH17: What they left behind – Passports were scattered across the large field.

Hide Caption

12 of 16

Photos:MH17: What they left behind

MH17: What they left behind – Playing cards and euros are seen at the crash site.

Hide Caption

13 of 16

Photos:MH17: What they left behind

MH17: What they left behind – A travel guide and toiletries.

Hide Caption

14 of 16

Photos:MH17: What they left behind

MH17: What they left behind – Luggage on Friday, July 18.

Hide Caption

15 of 16

Photos:MH17: What they left behind

MH17: What they left behind – An empty suitcase is cordoned off near the plane's impact site on Thursday, July 17.

Hide Caption

16 of 16

"The Russian government has a propaganda machine second to none, as these latest conspiracy theories demonstrate," a U.S. official told CNN.

---

THE RUSSIAN TAKE: Putin's plane was the target

According to some accounts in the Russian media, MH17 was traveling along almost the same route as President Vladimir Putin's presidential plane, which was returning to Moscow from a summit in Brazil. Both planes have red, white and blue markings.

"The contours of the airplanes are in general similar, the linear dimensions are also very similar and regarding the coloring, from a sufficiently long distance, they are practically identical," an aviation source was quoted as telling the news outlet, RT.

THE WORLD'S TAKE:Another Russian media, the online news portal Gazeta.ru, reported that Putin's plane has not flown over Ukrainian airspace for quite some time because of the conflict between the government and rebel forces.

---

THE RUSSIAN TAKE: Don't believe what you read on the Internet

Rebel leader Alexander Borodai has maintained for days that MH17 was shot down, just not by his forces. He said they don't have that capability.

Asked about the trail of evidence that contradicted him, Borodai just rolled his eyes.

"It's very easy to refute it," Borodai told CNN's Chris Cuomo. "Almost all information that comes over the internet is practically all lies."

THE WORLD'S TAKE: Western and Ukrainian intelligence say the rebels did have the means to bring down a jetliner. They were in control of a Russian missile system that once belonged to the Ukrainian military. A video reportedly showed the weapons system being carted out of eastern Ukraine into Russia. Intercepted conversations brag of an aircraft being shot down before the debris showed it was a civilian aircraft. A tweet from a rebel defense minister also bragged of the accomplishment -- before it was deleted.

JUST WATCHED

RT Reporter quits over MH17 Coverage

MUST WATCH

JUST WATCHED

Paying tribute to the lives lost on MH17

MUST WATCH

Paying tribute to the lives lost on MH1701:30

Photos:Photos: Malaysia Flight 17 victims remembered

Photos:Photos: Malaysia Flight 17 victims remembered

Malaysia Flight 17 victims remembered – The passengers and crew aboard Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 came from around the world and held a wide range of hopes and dreams. While the identities of the 298 people aboard have not been release by the airline, CNN has been able to confirm some of them via family, friends and social media.

Hide Caption

1 of 23

Photos:Photos: Malaysia Flight 17 victims remembered

Malaysia Flight 17 victims remembered – Karlijn Keijzer, 25, was a champion rower from Amsterdam who showed much passion and leadership in the United States as a member of the team at Indiana University in Bloomington, Indiana.

Hide Caption

2 of 23

Photos:Photos: Malaysia Flight 17 victims remembered

Malaysia Flight 17 victims remembered – Miguel Calehr, left, and his older brother Shaka were both aboard the flight. They were on their way to Bali to visit their grandmother. Their middle brother, Mika, was supposed to be on the flight as well, but it was fully booked.

Hide Caption

3 of 23

Photos:Photos: Malaysia Flight 17 victims remembered

Malaysia Flight 17 victims remembered – A 77-year-old teacher and Roman Catholic nun, Sister Philomene Tiernan, was on the flight, according to Australia's Kincoppal-Rose Bay School of the Sacred Heart. The school principal described Tiernan as "wonderfully wise and compassionate."

Hide Caption

4 of 23

Photos:Photos: Malaysia Flight 17 victims remembered

Malaysia Flight 17 victims remembered – On Friday, President Barack Obama told reporters that an American, Quinn Lucas Schansman, was aboard. His Facebook page said he was a student at International Business School Hogeschool van Amsterdam.

Hide Caption

5 of 23

Photos:Photos: Malaysia Flight 17 victims remembered

Malaysia Flight 17 victims remembered – The World Health Organization was able to confirm to CNN that their employee Glenneth Thomas was on board and heading to the International AIDS Conference scheduled to begin this weekend in Melbourne, Australia.

Malaysia Flight 17 victims remembered – Prominent Dutch scientist Joep Lange was a pioneer in HIV research and a former president of the International AIDS Society, which organizes the International AIDS Conference.

Malaysia Flight 17 victims remembered – Darryl Dwight Gunawan, 20, was traveling home to the Philippines after a summer vacation with his family. His mother, Irene Gunawan, 54, and sister Sheryl Shania Gunawan, 15, were also aboard.

Hide Caption

11 of 23

Photos:Photos: Malaysia Flight 17 victims remembered

Malaysia Flight 17 victims remembered – John Paulissen, his wife Yuli Hastini and their two children, Martin Arjuna and Sri were all aboard the flight.

Malaysia Flight 17 passengers remembered – Angeline Premila Rajandaran was a flight attendant, one of the 15 crew on board.

Hide Caption

14 of 23

Photos:Photos: Malaysia Flight 17 victims remembered

Malaysia Flight 17 passengers remembered – A lover of French literature, Adi Soetjipto, 73, was returning home to Jakarta, Indonesia, after her annual visit to her mother in the Netherlands, nephew Joss Wibisono said.

Hide Caption

15 of 23

Photos:Photos: Malaysia Flight 17 victims remembered

Malaysia Flight 17 victims remembered – Nick Norris and his three grandchildren, Otis, 8, Evie,10 and Mo, 12, were all aboard the flight.

Hide Caption

16 of 23

Photos:Photos: Malaysia Flight 17 victims remembered

Malaysia Flight 17 victims remembered – Pim de Kuijer was also on his way to the International AIDS Conference.

Hide Caption

17 of 23

Photos:Photos: Malaysia Flight 17 victims remembered

Malaysia Flight 17 victims remembered – Husband and wife Albert and Maree Rizk were among the passengers on board.

Malaysia Flight 17 victims remembered – Fatima Dycynski was an engineer and the founder and CEO of Xoterra Space.

Hide Caption

21 of 23

Photos:Photos: Malaysia Flight 17 victims remembered

Malaysia Flight 17 victims remembered – Arjen and Yvonne Ryder

Hide Caption

22 of 23

Photos:Photos: Malaysia Flight 17 victims remembered

Malaysia Flight 17 victims remembered – Flight attendant Sanjid Singh Sandu swapped flights at the last moment on Thursday and boarded MH17 in Amsterdam so he could get home early, his parents told CNN.

Hide Caption

23 of 23

JUST WATCHED

Russian media MH17 conspiracy theories

MUST WATCH

Russian media MH17 conspiracy theories02:34

With the stakes so high even basic information online was being changed to shape facts. The Twitter site @RuGovEdits automatically tracks changes made by Russian government sites to Wikipedia. It has tracked dozens of edits from Moscow to Wikipedia entries about MH17.

In one case, one edit that said the plane was shot down by the pro-Russian rebels was changed less than an hour later by someone inside the Russian government to say: "The plane was shot down by Ukrainian soldiers."

THE WORLD'S TAKE: The Wikipedia entry now says the two sides are accusing each other.

---

THE RUSSIAN TAKE: At first, the story didn't require such heavy media coverage.

Russian newspapers downplayed the story just after the crash.

THE WORLD'S TAKE: The downing of the Malaysia Airlines made headlines instantly around the world.

"The Kremlin or the people that control the information, networks in Russia, decide how they are going to explain something, what the general narrative will be, and that is given to radio, TV, newspapers to a certain extent, etc.," said Dougherty. "They essentially are told, this is what you should say."

It proved too much for one reporter, RT's Sarah Firth, who quit the network last week.

"I've had many times over the five years I've been at RT where I had a similar struggle and you've watched the story handled in that way. And you felt very strongly that right away the narrative is being pitched -- a very specific narrative to the detriment to the facts and accuracy in reporting."